Of all the days in all the world, Michael Murphy somehow trumped this one. Comebacks, few do them as marvellously dramatic as Donegal.
If the shock return of Jim McGuinness to the sideline last season was that of a footballing god reembracing his adoring flock, then Wednesday’s revelation that Murphy is returning to the intercounty playing fields could trigger only one immediate response, ‘Jesus Christ!’
Murphy announced his intercounty retirement in November 2022. Two years later, he has arisen.
In the same week Dublin’s greatest footballer exited the intercounty game, Donegal’s greatest player grabbed the ball out of his hands on the way back in the door.
At 35, Murphy is not an old man, but he is an older intercounty player. Paul Conroy, the 2024 Footballer of the Year, has three months on Donegal’s 2012 All-Ireland winning captain.
But Murphy has been out of the game for two years now. In the first 12 months after his retirement, the Glenswilly man fielded countless questions on a possible Donegal return. He gently batted them all away. Not going to happen.
The subject didn’t tend to pop up as often in 2024 as Murphy’s transition from generational player to informative pundit progressed. He was a columnist with The Irish Times and carried out match analysis for BBC and GAAGO.
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His inclusion on Jim Gavin’s Football Review Committee was further evidence of somebody trending away from the playing side of the game and more towards coaching and administration.
He had become a former player. The window for going back appeared to have closed. But McGuinness didn’t need to jimmy the latch back open, the window had never been shut. All that was needed was patience and persistence. And some new rules probably didn’t hurt either.
But if the Dubs got the band back together in 2023, a reheating of the McGuinness and Murphy double-act stadium tour next year will be as eagerly anticipated as the Oasis reunion.
It is enjoyable to believe this was all part of some great big ruse hatched above in the hills, a Donegal Masterplan. McGuinness and Murphy skipping off to the Poisoned Glen at the foot of Errigal early last year to concoct the greatest long game in the history of Gaelic football; insert a guy on the committee created to alter the rules of the game, help nudge said decision-making body in a certain direction and then hightail it back to the dressingroom to reap the benefits. Boots at the ready, throw the ball in.
And while that might all sound fanciful, there is little doubt the new rules that are expected to be in operation next season made this comeback more attractive for all involved.
In terms of stop-you-in-your-tracks GAA comebacks, this is up there with Stephen Cluxton with Dublin and Graham Geraghty with Meath.
Geraghty was 38 and had been three years out of the intercounty game when he rejoined the Royals, and he sees no reason why Murphy can’t thrive next year.
“I was playing junior football at the time but when you look at Michael, he has been playing really well in the senior championship in Donegal,” says Geraghty.
“He has kept himself in great shape and, given his skill set, I would expect him to get back to that level fairly quickly. He obviously has a very close relationship with Jim and they both trust each other, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised to see Michael back.”
And yet it was a surprise. It is a surprise.
Only last month Murphy was in Croke Park for the launch of the FRC’s interim report. He spoke openly about the game with the free-flowing carefree nature of a man not preparing to hop back in the trenches.
The possibility in these new rules of more aerial contests for balls around the middle will obviously be a plus for Murphy’s type of game, but of all the potential changes the three v three in attack would seem to be smack bang in Murphy’s wheelhouse. More space and more one-on-one physical battles, a Gaelic footballing playground for a player like Murphy.
Asked last month whether he believed that rule would encourage the return of teams placing a target man at the edge of the opposition square again, Murphy replied: “Potentially, potentially.
“There’s definitely a couple of teams so far that have had that (target man in the sandbox games).”
Murphy was also questioned on whether he felt McGuinness would embrace or rail against the rule changes.
“He’ll absolutely love it,” responded Murphy.
“I would imagine he’d love it and he’d see potential ways probably coming into the game this year. There’s been change since he left the game until he came back, but then there’s been no change really to anything. Whereas now there’s potential.”
Potential. McGuinness clearly noticed there was a large dose of that in utilising Murphy once again.
To reinforce the place he holds within the county, on Wednesday evening Donegal changed the icon of their official Twitter/X account to a pic of Murphy, and stated: “CLG Dhún na nGall are happy to confirm the return of All-Ireland winning captain Michael Murphy to the Donegal squad for the 2025 season. We look forward to the season ahead and the possible addition of other players to our 2025 squad as well!”
The very last question put to Murphy in Croke Park that afternoon last month was whether he believed McGuinness could lead Donegal to another All-Ireland in the future.
“I just keep thinking back to about maybe just over 12 months ago, we’ll go back 14, 15 months, to think where Donegal was to where Donegal is,” he said.
“It’s a testament to him, just again those pieces of consistency and drive and attitude and all those buzzwords that we speak about.
“You can see it there. It’s that relentless nature of continuing to keep at something. Who knows where it could end?”
In one of the great GAA twists, Michael Murphy gets to help script that outcome now.
Comebacks, few do them as marvellously dramatic as Donegal.
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